Brazilian police recover stolen Picasso

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazilian police recovered two stolen
paintings, including a valuable Picasso, and arrested two
suspects on Tuesday, nearly three weeks after the works were
snatched from the Sao Paulo Museum of Art.

State police said they had recovered Pablo Picasso's
"Portrait of Suzanne Bloch" and Brazilian painter Candido
Portinari's "The Coffee Worker," worth a combined $55 million.

The paintings were found at a house in the outskirts of Sao
Paulo.

Police arrested one of the suspects, Francisco Laerton
Lopes de Lima, 10 days ago and his capture led them to Robson
de Jesus Jordao, 32, who was taken in to custody on Tuesday.

Police Chief Mauricio Freire said the pair had long
criminal records and had taken part in previous attempted
robberies at the museum.

"It's obvious these two didn't commit the robbery to keep
the paintings for themselves," Freire told reporters. "The
focus of the investigation from now on will be to find out who
ordered the robbery and where they were taking the pictures
to."

The thieves broke into the museum before dawn on December
21 and grabbed the paintings in three minutes. They used a
hydraulic jack to force open the main door and a crowbar to
smash a glass door.

The museum had no alarm system and none of the paintings
were insured. However, since the robbery, the museum said it
had made a series of security improvements, including adding
high-definition cameras and hiring more guards.

The Picasso portrait of singer Suzanne Bloch was painted in
1904 and is considered the last important work of the
Spaniard's "Blue Period." Portinari's work, painted in 1939 and
featuring a laborer on a coffee plantation, is one of Brazil's
best known paintings.

Sao Paulo Museum of Art president Julio Neves said both
paintings were recovered in perfect condition.